The Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, has stated that recruitment into the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) will remain frozen until a thorough staff deployment exercise has been undertaken to serve the real needs of the service.
He said that the deployment of staff had been lopsided and that certain areas in the country appeared to be over-staffed while other places were under-staffed.
Addressing the opening session of a special regional commanders’ conference of the GIS in Accra yesterday, Mr Ahwoi said, “There is a clear evidence of under-utilisation of human resource in the service.”
The three-day event, being held on the theme, “Moving the GIS towards a new institutional direction”, is being attended by management and regional commanders of the service.
It is meant to create a platform for them to undertake critical institutional stock-taking of the operational and administrative activities and address the challenges facing the GIS.
Strategic plan
Mr Ahwoi stated that in 2011, the leadership of the service launched a four-year strategic plan from 2011 to 2015 that defined and spelt out the visionary strategies for the service, covering policy, personnel development and deployment, as well as facilities and equipment.
He was happy that preliminary work had been carried out particularly in the areas of nationwide sensitisation of personnel and the recruitment of specialist professionals in information and communications technology, law, civil engineering, paramedics and psychologists.
Mr Ahwoi noted that currently, postings and transfer of staff had not been “scientifically” analysed and done to ensure that key regions, sectors, districts and border posts had adequate staff numbers with appropriate ranks to ensure effective command and control at all times.
“Jobs, we must create, but we should not add to the over-burdening problem of ‘single spine salary management’ by paying staff salaries for no work done,” he stated.
The minister said his outfit had already directed the GIS leadership to overhaul staff deployment to ensure that the GIS derived maximum benefit from staff.
“I am informed but yet to verify that a total staff re-deployment exercise has been carried out in the Greater Accra Region and is being extended to Tema and other regional, sector and district commands across the country,” he said.
Challenges facing service
On challenges facing the GIS, Mr Ahwoi stated that he was aware the service suffered from serious deficit in areas such as accommodation, means of transport, communication equipment, uniforms and other accoutrement.
He, however, said the government was working relentlessly to ensure that the service was provided with its essential logistics and infrastructure to enable it to perform at its maximum best.
Non-release of subvention
The acting Director of Immigration, Commissioner of Police, Dr Peter A. Wiredu, said the non-release of subventions adversely affected the operations of the service last year.
“This dire financial constraints compelled some regional and sector commanders of the service to resort to some ingenious ways to run their areas…,” he stated.
He said the service had reconstituted its Central Disciplinary Committee to review all cases of officers interdicted for various acts of indiscipline.
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